Rahane roars back: Is India ready for captaincy change?
The batsman has shown everyone what he’s capable of after scoring a fantastic century in his first match as stand-in captain.
The Indian batting lineup was in doldrums following an absolutely humiliating and mortifying annihilation at the hands of Australian quicks Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins in the second innings of the first Test. No batsman could score past 9, and in the blink of an eye the scorecard read 19/6. Even the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane seemed completely oblivious as to how they were supposed to claw their way out of this deep gorge the Australians had thrown them into. The result was an embarrassing 36 all out, with Mohammed Shami being ruled out of the remainder of the series courtesy a Pat Cummins bumper that broke his arm. After a significant lead at the culmination of Australia’s first innings, India looked well on course to snatch victory, but a horror show in their second innings had the Australians running away victorious.
If the troubles weren’t enough already, skipper Virat Kohli decided to head back home to be present at the birth of his first child. Ajinkya Rahane was handed the captaincy reins in his absence and there was much speculation as to how the Indian team will manage to get out of this pickle they were so deep inside. With Virat Kohli and Mohammed Shami unavailable and Ajinkya Rahane becoming captain, it seemed as if there was only a bleak chance that India would put up a fight in the remainder of the series. But all of these doubts and suspicions were answered by the Indians in some style.
On Boxing Day at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, a spirited bowling lineup bundled out the hosts for an unimpressive 195 as Jasprit Bumrah, debutant Mohammed Siraj and spin wizard Ravichandran Ashwin inflicted severe damage on the Aussie batting lineup. From then on, it was the Ajinkya Rahane show. After losing Mayank Agarwal in the first over, Cheteshwar Pujara and another debutant Shubman Gill steadied the ship before both fell in quick succession to leave India in a spot of bother at 64/3.
Then Ajinkya Rahane took over and played what really was worthy of being called a captain’s innings. He forged vital partnerships with Hanuma Vihari and then with Rishabh Pant to take India to 173/5 after Pant fell for 29. A century stand then followed as Rahane and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja finished the day off with the visitors in a strong position at 277/5. Rahane showed absolutely no signs of nervousness whatsoever as he went on to notch up a stupendous century. There were no signs of restlessness or discomposure while he occupied the crease, as he played a patient and elegant innings to raise his as well as the team’s confidence. It was a typical Test match innings, no rush at all, leaving the good balls outside off stump and avoiding the bouncers, while sending anything on the pads away for runs. It was a joy to witness Test cricket batting at its finest and most purest, as Rahane remained unbeaten on 104 off 200 balls.
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson on the other hand, continued his normal service as he smashed yet another ton against Pakistan in their ongoing Test series. Coming on the back of a destructive 251 against the West Indies, the Kiwi great stroked his way to a brilliant 129(297). Kane Williamson is just another synonym for the world ‘class’, because watching him bat is one of the most heavenly sights in world cricket. He made the Pakistani bowlers toil hard and long as he engineered fabulous partnerships with Ross Taylor and Henry Nicholls to take New Zealand to a daunting 431.
Such determination was also exhibited by Sri Lanka’s Dinesh Chandimal when he lifted Sri Lanka from 54/3 with a fighting 85(161) against South Africa. The veteran stuck at the crease no matter what and got his team to a respectable first innings total of 396. The fact that all of these marvellous innings were played within a space of two days makes it a delightful weekend for every cricket fan. Such gritty and masterful innings have now become rare material in this changing world of cricket where scoop shots and reverse sweeps seem to have overtaken cover drives and square cuts. But whenever such performances are presented, they are a delight to witness.
Ajinkya Rahane has muted his critics for the time being especially after a few poor series’ in the past. Rahane has been subjected to significant denunciation over the past few years due to his inconsistent performances both at home and away. He was once hailed as India’s best batsman in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia) countries but that tag seems to have deserted him since India’s tour to South Africa in 2018. After a disappointing tour to England in 2018 where India lost 4–1, Rahane tasted success when India made history after winning the Border-Gavaskar trophy in Australia in 2018–19. Rahane had modest performances on that tour but nothing much to show for.
In the home series against South Africa in 2019, Rahane showed signs of his hidden genius. He played quite a few substantial knocks and even got a century to his name as India enforced a clean sweep. In the tour to West Indies later that year Rahane continued the good work, getting another century to his name and winning the Man of the Match award in the first Test for scores of 81 and 102. But the tour to New Zealand in early 2020 proved to be disappointing for most of the Indian batsmen, and Rahane was no exception as he struggled for form.
Since then, this is India’s first Test series and after the debacle in the first Test, Rahane has shown that he is not one to be taken lightly as he knows how to rise from the ashes. Being dismissed for a duck in that 36 all out innings, he was under incredible pressure to perform or he could have even been ostracized from the team. Battling all these challenges, he has shown tremendous character and has made a comeback of the highest class and has single-handedly put the Australians in a tough situation.
Incidentally, Rahane is a black belt in karate, so the calmness and tranquility that he displays is very much an inbuilt part of his overall personality. Calm and dangerous is a deadly combination and Rahane possesses both of these elements in identical measure. Day 3 could well see him add to his tally of 12 fours as he looks in flawless touch and is toying with the Aussie bowling attack.
Batting isn’t the only arena where Rahane has made an impact though. On the first day, he was spot on with his rotation of bowlers, making use of Ashwin and Bumrah to good effect and making the most of Mohammed Siraj’s bowling too. His incredible temperament and mature presence on the field, coupled with an intelligent mind, is raising questions about him being a better captain than Virat Kohli. Though it’s too early to make that judgment, the rest of the series could very well explain to us how good a captain Rahane is in comparison to Kohli. After this masterpiece of an innings, Ajinkya Rahane has made a statement that he indeed is one of the world’s finest batsmen when it comes to Test cricket, and on his day, he can make even the strongest of bowling lineups look helpless, as he goes about looking calm and composed as ever, executing his plan of domination.
